32 DEALMAKER
OF THE YEAR (UNDER £25m) AWARD
SPONSORED BY PITMANS GRANT THORNTON’S DUNCAN LAMB
WINNER
Above: Duncan Lamb
Right: Lamb (centre) with Adam Dowdney (right) and Mark Durden-Smith
The first of the night’s four awards to be voted for by the audience, Dealmaker of the Year (under £25m) was sponsored by law firm Pitmans.
Mark Allen from Deloitte was shortlisted alongside Peter Barrand from HMT – already named as Corporate Finance Adviser of the Year – and Duncan Lamb, who had earlier achieved success as part of the winning Corporate Finance Team of the Year.
Allen, who was promoted to director in 2009, has worked on deals including the disposals of Softalk to Gordano and Credit Solutions Holdings to arvato Finance, as well as being an adviser to Gresham Private Equity on the acquisition of IND.
One nomination said: “Mark has proved himself to be proactive in originating and completing deals against a tough economic backdrop.“
The experience which stood Barrand in good stead for his earlier win applied equally well in his bid to win the Dealmaker title. The brightsolid acquisition of Friends Reunited for £25 million from ITV saw him nominated for the quality of his advice and knowledge of its specialist market, which had been a differentiator in appointing him.
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And his involvement in Gooch & Housego’s acquisition of US manufacturer EM4 Inc, led one nominee to say his work and experience in the sector had been “invaluable“ in helping get the deal across the line. Barrand joined HMT from PwC in 2008.
Heading up the CF team for Grant Thornton in the Thames Valley is Duncan Lamb, who walked away with the title in 2010.
The past 12 months have seen Lamb work on a wide range of deals and one nominee said he is seen as a strong generator of new deal opportunities, which he is keen to keep within the local deals community if possible.
High-profile deals have included Guralp Systems and Kerridge Commercial Systems, as well as the sale of Partners in Specialist Care. Plaudits for his work included: “Duncan helped us achieve the best possible outcome for our business“, and “Duncan focuses on getting deals done, whilst not losing sight of the objectives of his clients“; while another said Lamb and his team are seen as market leaders in the Thames Valley.
With highlights of the nominations read out from the stage by Mark Durden-Smith,
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MAY 2011
it was over to the audience to pick their favourite and after a brief 20 seconds, the name of Duncan Lamb flashed out on the screen once again.
Lamb was presented with his award by Adam Dowdney, one of Pitmans Corporate partners, himself a winner earlier in the evening.
Lamb said: “ Whilst I am delighted to receive this personal recognition, this award reflects the hard work put in by the whole of the Grant Thornton team, who completed a vast array of complex and varied transactions during the past year.
“I am equally pleased that we have been able to share much of the success of these deals within the local market place ensuring that the Thames Valley and Solent geographies remains one of the strongest regions for completing deals in the UK.“
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